Silent Night, Deadly Night 3: Better Watch Out!

After being shot down by the police, Ricky Caldwell remains in a six-year coma. Doctors attach a transparent dome to his head to repair the skull, while Dr. Newbury begins studying ways to contact him. The bone-dome setup and the early experiments set the stage for the psychic connection that unfolds later.

Dr. Newbury enlists Laura Anderson, a blind clairvoyant, to reach Ricky psychically. Laura endures a series of sessions that hint at a link between her mind and Ricky's, though she grows increasingly uneasy. Newbury insists the work could yield remarkable communication with the comatose killer.

During a tense Christmas Eve session, a drunken Santa impersonator wanders into Ricky's room and taunts him, triggering a frightening resurgence. Ricky kills the Santa and a receptionist, then escapes the hospital armed with a letter opener. The escape marks Ricky's return to the world outside his coma.

After being picked up from a session with her psychiatrist, Laura is introduced by her brother Chris to his new girlfriend, Jerri. The dynamic introduces a human center to the escalating horror as they head toward Granny's house. Laura's unease grows as the road trip begins.

The trio heads toward Granny's house, while Ricky, already connected to Laura via the mental link, begins following. To get a vehicle, he murders a motorist and a gas station attendant to steal a truck and fuel. The chase to Granny's house becomes personal and deadly.

Ricky arrives at Granny's house first and is met with hospitality that turns violent. A Christmas gift offered to him provokes a lethal reaction, and Granny is killed. The house becomes a trap as Ricky's rage erupts in response to perceived kindness.

Lieutenant Connely and Newbury discover that hospital staff have been butchered. Surveillance footage reveals Ricky uttering Laura's name, signaling he is drawn to her. The investigation tightens as the search narrows toward the clairvoyant he seems to crave.

Laura senses Ricky watching from the window as Granny fails to appear. The group suspects nothing at first, but the car is found sabotaged and Granny missing. Chris and Jerri go outside to look for Granny, while Laura senses Ricky closing in and warns them in time before Ricky attacks Jerri.

Armed with a plan to trap him, Newbury departs with Connely to chase Ricky, hoping the taped sessions might calm him enough to tolerate contact. The pursuit intensifies the cat-and-mouse dynamic that has haunted the group's journey since Ricky's awakening. The search draws closer to the house and its haunted Christmas setting.

Chris, Laura, and Jerri head out to seek help with a shotgun for protection, but Ricky ambushes them. Chris is stabbed in the chest, and the trio is forced to retreat toward the house while Ricky closes in. The danger escalates as the safety of the group crumbles.

Newbury confronts Ricky inside the house as a tape of their sessions draws the killer's attention. He reaches out to Ricky, only to be stabbed in the stomach when the moment of false calm collapses. The clash underscores the deadly consequences of experimenting with fear and mind.

Ricky breaches the barricade and kills Jerri, her body later found by Laura. The loss intensifies Laura's fear as she realizes Ricky's fixation on her has become personal and deadly. The house becomes a trap for anyone who stands in Ricky's way.

Laura is chased by Ricky into the basement, aided by a vision of Granny. Chris unexpectedly arrives and fires a shotgun, but the weapon misfires as Ricky disarms him and chokes him. The final confrontation teeters on a knife-edge of life and death.

With Ricky closing in, Laura wields a broken stick in a last-ditch defense. In a brutal turn, Ricky impales himself on the improvised weapon, ending his rampage in a self-inflicted catastrophe. The immediate threat is neutralized, but the cost is high.

Lieutenant Connely arrives with backup to find Newbury dying and Laura cradling her dead brother. She bids him a Merry Christmas as a final, haunted note. Ricky’s final line breaks the fourth wall, promising a chilling 'And a Happy New Year' as a grim reminder of the killer's lingering aura.